In unity with Earth element, Deep Nature Connection draws us into relationship with the wildness all around us.  From the wild lands to the songbirds in our own garden, nature connection is both a practice and a way of being.  My work with youth focuses on developing this connection through daylong programs and camping/backpacking trips.  Learning to track animals, eat wild foods, and interpret bird language, we take a step deeper into our role as humans with an awareness and passion to be of service to the wild and find our own wildness within.  With the goal of cultivating relationship with wild plants, animals, and places, we weave natural history, nature awareness, and ancestral skills for whole person learning.

Offerings

• Elemental Adventures: Homeschool Nature Education in Marin: Homeschool Nature Education in Marin County – Groups for fall now forming, contact me for details
• Elemental Quest: Teen rites of passage– Starting spring and fall for 7th and 8th graders
• Elemental Leadership: Wilderness, Skills, Service, Leadership for Teens – Seasonal trips and ongoing programs for educating and mentoring teens
• Back To Earth: Wilderness Immersion & Leadership Development – 10-Day Summer Backpacking trips and yearlong mentoring circle in the East and North Bay for teens

Resources

• Back To Earth
• Buckeye Gathering
• 8 Shields, Art of Mentoring, Bird Language Intensive
• Vilda Foundation
• Wilderness Awareness School
• Four Elements Earth Education

Testimonials

“Spencer Nielsen has been our son’s teacher and mentor for many years and has honestly been one of the best people in our lives.  Our son is homeschooled and has learned so much through his outdoor studies with Spencer.  I am always so impressed with the knowledge that he shares and also with the way that he relates to the students in his groups.  We are so lucky to know Spencer!”
-Parent, Vilda’s Dirt Time Homeschool program

“Two years of adventuring in the wild with Spencer—whether on day hikes or multi-day backpacking treks—infused my son’s life with a bold spirit and an enduring passion for the natural world.”
-Parent, Vilda’s Dirt Time Homeschool program